updated 09:30 am EST, Wed March 7, 2012

Company refuses to confirm or deny feature

The new iPad being announced later today could have haptic feedback, Pocket-lint sources claim. Apple has allegedly been in talks with a Finnish company, Senseg, the creators of a technology called E-Sense. Unlike normal haptic feedback methods, the one Apple is reportedly using would put an electrical pulse behind every pixel, adding "texture" to onscreen objects.

Senseg is neither confirming or denying plans. "We won't be making any statements until after Apple's announcement," one spokesman says. The company's technical marketing manager, Petri Jekonen, yesterday toldThe Guardian "That would be for Apple to say. My comment is no comment." Senior VP Ville Mäkinen has previously told Trusted Reviews that Senseg is "currently working with a certain tablet maker based in Cupertino."

Haptic feedback could explain wording in Apple's invite for the iPad announcement: "We have something you really have to see. And touch." While the "see" is thought to refer to the new tablet's ultra-sharp display, no special meaning has usually been attributed to "touch."

How it works? Answered

Answering my own question, Senseg itself explains how it works:

"Senseg patented solution creates a sophisticated sensation of touch using Coloumbâ€™s force, the principle of attraction between electrical charges. By passing an ultra-low electrical current into the insulated electrode, Sensegâ€™s Tixelâ„˘, the proprietary charge driver can create a small attractive force to finger skin. By modulating this attractive force a variety of sensations can be generated, from textured surfaces and edges to vibrations and more."

http://senseg.com/technology/senseg-technology

It's something that can be added to an existing touch screen:

"The Tixel is the means by which Sensegâ€™s technology transmits electro-vibration stimulus. It is an ultra-thin durable coating on the touch interface that outputs tactile effects. Sensegâ€™s patented Tixel can be applied to almost any surface, flat or curved, hard or soft, transparent or opaque. Because there are no moving parts in Sensegâ€™s solution it can scale to almost any size of device. Moreover, with no mechanical inertia Senseg tactile response is immediate."

Interesting. But it's almost too great a leap to believe it's happening here and now.

Good heavens, Apple...

I hope you just hired 15 more lawyers! Because you just know there's going to be companies saying they patented this technology 10 years ago, have the trademark rights to the word "haptic", and Google/Motorola will announce their new & revolutionary product next week using haptic touch.